By Catherine Smith
Watch out kids, GRAMA might be leaving.
Legislators are currently working to change the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA), which makes it possible for residents to request records from the government.
The three proposals presented by the GRAMA task force, a sub-committee of the Utah Legislature, would limit the availability of public records, charge fees and require requestors to disclose the reason for the request.
?We are adamantly opposed to the proposals,? said Joel Campbell, professor of communications at BYU and the Freedom of Information Co-Chairman of the Society of Professional Journalists. ?We believe open information functions best if you can have a deliberate process.?
Campbell also said the proposal would put more emphasis on personal privacy rights that would create an imbalance in the law.
People can get involved by talking to their respective legislators.
?A lot of people don?t realize they can walk into a government office and request any public record,? Campbell said. ?The public records are owned by us, by the citizens.?
Utah?s current law regarding access to public records has been praised for its fairness from several media outlets.
?[GRAMA law] is not extremely pro-access and it isn?t one of the worst,? said Jeff Hunt a lobbyist and a Salt Lake City attorney with an emphasis in media law. ?The proposals would move [the law] far down the scale to make [records] harder to get.?
Media outlets around Utah feel the changing of the laws is a regression rather than in improvement.
?Newspapers and other media gets info of the government and provides it to the public,? Hunt said. ?They would use the provision to provide a fee on requestors to get the information.?
The other side of the fence claims the tightening of the GRAMA laws is better for the public.
?I think the changes will make it easier for the public to access,? said Sen. Parley Hellewell, a member of the GRAMA Task Force.
The changes made to the laws are due to changes in computers, electronics and problems with the current laws, Hellewell said.
Some of the proposed changes to the GRAMA law include: the inability of the public to appeal a GRAMA request denial; less access to communication between public servants, their staff and constituents; and the inability to retrieve records of closed-door meetings of government entities.
The proposals will go before the Utah Legislature in the upcoming legislative session, which starts in January.
